In a city where tortas, burgers and po'boys rule, this fresh, modern specialist in classic sandwiches is a happy anomaly. Good locally sourced ingredients, serious bread and combos that speak to the local palate all help the two locations stay packed with fans who line up at the counter to order their favorites — and to mix and match a bright, appealing array of seasonal salads and vegetables. The Upper Kirby spot is a bit more formal, with its hot dinner plates and cocktails. But it's the reliably excellent sandwiches — and the house mintade — that keep bringing me back.Must-orders: Truffled egg salad sandwich; house-smoked salmon, cream cheese and onion jam on a poppy seed bagel; falafel sandwich with olive crumble, sambal and pickled red onion; 44 Farms roast beef sandwich with horseradish aioli and curried cauliflower (Village location only).Inside track: To maintain sanity, it's best to try lunch on the early or late side, when the lines are not quite as long.Cuisine: AmericanEntree price: $$Where/Phone: 2424 Dunstan, 713-521-7800; 2555 Kirby, 713-255-4440Website:houstonlocalfoods.com

Alison Cook – a two-time James Beard Award winner for restaurant criticism and an M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing award recipient – has been reviewing restaurants and surveying the dining scene for the Houston Chronicle for 12 years.